Kremlin critics put an Occupy Wall Street twist on a protest in the
Russian capital over next month's parliamentary election on Monday, but
the result was the same as usual: dispersal and detention. Police
forcefully dispersed a small rally by government opponents who donned
the kind of mustachioed Guy Fawkes masks popular with anti-greed
protesters in London, New York and other cities.

About a dozen
protesters gathered outside the Central Election Commission headquarters
and announced plans to "Occupy Old Square," a square nearby that houses
presidential administration offices. There have been few major Occupy
Wall Street-style rallies in Russia, and despite the spin on Monday's
protest, the protesters made clear their message was about the Dec. 4
parliamentary election. They chanted "Cancel the illegal elections!" and
held placards with similar slogans.

In an echo of other recent
protests over the election - without the masks - the demonstrators were
quickly seized by camouflage-clad police and shoved roughly into a
waiting bus. Police said they violated the law by holding a rally
without official permission....MORE

Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 72. Best known in the West for co-chairing the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission
on nuclear safety, which largely failed in its goal of promoting
bilateral cooperation between Washington and Moscow, Chernomyrdin
presided over an extremely turbulent period of Russian history,
including the controversial privatizations of the mid-1990s and the
First Chechen War....

...Chernomyrdin is survived by ("approximately") two sons and a wealth of unforgettable lines. Here are a few of the best:

On economic reform: "We wanted better, but it turned out as always." On his background on energy minister: "I have grown up in the atmosphere of oil and gas." On dealing with the frequently uncooperative Duma: "Government is not the organ in which one uses his tongue only." On Russia's unstable party system: "Whatever party we establish, it always turns out to be the Soviet Communist Party." On his critics: "If your hands are itchy, scratch yourselves in other spots." On the future: "We will live so well that our children and grandchildren will envy us!" On Ukraine's Orange Revolution: "American ears are sticking out everywhere." On his family: "I have approximately two sons." On political efficiency: "We accomplished all items: from A to B." On women: "You can't scare a woman with high-heeled shoes." On language: I can talk to anyone in any language, but I try not to use that instrument." On the life of the mind: "I am far from thought."...

I liked that "...turned out as always" line and apparently other folks did too, the first three hits on a Google search turn up the three times I used it.